It's all for Music
by StevenSparks
Summary: Laney's eighteen-year-old cousin is staying at her house for the first semester. The bad news? She and Laney don't get along at all. But will they be able to settle their differences from the past in order to defeat the Newmans for a serious upcoming gig?
1. Intro

**Hey guys, it's me with a new story. Even though I haven't been in the Grojband fanbase for long, I can tell this seems like a chill place. At least, for now. Well, anyway, I hope you all enjoy it. This may have romance in the future, but I'm still not sure. Anyway, enjoy.  
**

**If I ever make any artwork o****f this fanfiction, visit my deviantART page.**

* * *

"But why does Carla have to stay here?" Laney Penn whined as her father shoved the boxes out of the doorway. "Can't she stay at the dorms at the college?"

Gavin asked Laney to help him move the boxes from the basement guest bedroom because Laney's older cousin was going to stay with them for college. The news came crashing down on Laney like a ton of bricks.

"Maybe we could buy a hotel room for her so she doesn't have to stay here!"

"Now, Laney, you know that's not how we treat our family." Gavin Penn shoved the last box into the closet, revealing the guest bedroom. There was only a good sized window in the back, a sliding door closet on the right, a dresser next to the closet, desk beside the doorway, and night stand beside a bed frame with a old mattress in the far left corner. Gavin turned to Laney and sighed, "I don't see why this is such a big deal for you, Laney. Carla's your cousin."

"Dad, Carla was my worst enemy in Peaceville when we were kids!" Laney pouted as she crossed her arms. "She would always hang out with the boys and put worms in my hair! Then she'd shoo me away when I tried to play with her when the guys weren't around." She sighed as she flopped face-down on the loveseat. "All she cared about was drawing and ruining my life!"

"Laney, you were kids, and some girls act like that." Gavin patted his daughter's back. A small smile was on his face. "You still cried when she and her family moved away six years ago."

"That was because I found a worm in my hair, Dad!" Laney snapped despite her voice being muffled by the cushions. Gavin sighed, though he still patted his daughter's back. "Laney, people change over time. Your Aunt Jenn and Uncle Troy always told Mom and I that Carla really liked hanging out with you."

_'Yeah, sure, Dad.'_ Laney rolled her eyes. The college semester lasted for three to four months. Laney had a bad feeling in her stomach that this was going to be the worst months of her life.

* * *

"Oh, two, three, four! I declare a thumb war!"

Kin and Kon Kujira began to thumb wrestle, but neither of them seemed to be winning. Corey Riffin looked at them from across the room, a 'I'm not impressed' look on his face. "Guys, do you mind helping me think of a way to get Trina to write in her diary?"

"In a minute!"

"This is a heated battle!"

"Ha! Snake bite!"

"Oh, you cheater! Rematch!"

"Winner get's all the cheese in the fridge at home!"

Corey facepalmed. This was going to take forever. The sound of the garage door opening caught Corey's attention, and he saw Laney walking towards the garage, down in the dumps.

"Hey, Lanes!"

"Hey, Core..." Laney plopped down on the stage, resting her face on her bass. Corey raised a brow. This was weird, even for Laney. "What's got you down, fella?"

Laney internally snorted. 'Fella'? Why does Corey, of all people, keep referring to her as a BOY?! However, being the nice friend she was, Laney simply let the remark slide and let out a breath. "My older cousin is coming back from Newtech City to stay with us."

"Why is that a bad thing?" Kin asked as he focused on his thumb war with his brother. Laney rolled her eyes. "Because she and I were like mortal enemies growing up. She'd torture me with worms and water guns until she moved away when I turned six!"

Kon started laughing. "Worms?! A girl handling worms?!"

"I know, seems unheard of right?" Corey snickered. Laney rolled her eyes again, "Carla's not like other girls. She seems all sweet and innocent around the adults, but she was pretty brave outside of school." Kin then screeched. "HA! I WIN!"

"NO! REMATCH!"

Laney looked up, raising a brow. Corey shook his head. "Don't ask."

"I wasn't about to." Laney planted her face back onto her instrument. Corey seemed confused. "But why is she coming back?" He sat down beside Laney with an expression that could have made her heart throb. Laney sighed again.

"It's because she's attending the college here. The colleges back in Newtech only support science and math, so, she decided to come back here to pursue her art career. Unfortunately for me, that means she'll be crashing with us."

"But why can't she use the dorms at the college?"

"My parents said that's not what a family does...Or at least, my family, so I had no say in the matter."

"Man, that must be rough. How old is she now?"

"She's eighteen now." Laney rolled over to breathe. Staying face-down on a solid object didn't help with the respiratory system. "And now, because she'll be living with me, I won't know when and where I can assume I'll be safe!"

"Oh c'mon, you don't know what'll happen. Maybe she changed for the better." Kon shrugged as he continued with the second rematch with his brother. Laney shook her head. "I doubt it. Once a troublemaker, always a troublemaker."

Corey gave her a smirk. "Well, how about a little strumming to take your mind off it?" Laney looked at Corey, then her bass, and smiled. She sat up and slung her instrument over her shoulder. "Yeah, I guess a little music would help."

"One, two, three, four-!"

"Don't even think about it, band geeks!"

Laney swore under her breath. The last thing she needed was a visit from Peaceville's own Queen Bee. Trina Riffin and Mina Beff stood in front of the house doorway. Corey rolled his eyes. "What do you want, Trina?"

"None of your business, dork!" Trina gave them a smirk. "But if you must know, I couldn't help but overhear that your girlfriend's older cousin will be staying here for a while?"

Instantly, Laney's face flushed when Trina said 'girlfriend'. Her heart pounded against her chest as a quick thought of her and Corey as a couple flashed through her mind. But Corey gave a snort, snapping the bassist out of her thoughts. "Laney's not my girlfriend, Trina!"

"And what's it to you anyway?" Laney said as she recovered from her daydream. She put her hands on her hips. "Why do you care if my cousin is staying with me?"

"Well, duh! Shouldn't it be obvious?" Trina spat in her 'like, I know everything and you don't' voice. "If that COLLEGE girl becomes my BFF, do you know what kind of power I'll have in my social life?!"

"But I thought I was your BFF," Mina said, looking up from her notepad. For some reason, she was taking notes. Trina rolled her eyes, "uh, yeah. You're getting there."

Laney and Corey rolled their eyes and exchanged glances. Although they knew that this was a part of Trina's daily life, they seriously had their doubts that Laney's cousin would be Trina's BFF by Trina's standards. _'Even my cousin wouldn't stoop that low...I hope.'_

"Hey Laney!"The sound of a car door slammed shut. Laney's eyes shrank. That was her father's voice. "What's your old man doing here?" Kon asked as he lifted the garage door open. Gavin smiled at the brothers and Corey. "Hey, fellas!"

"Hi, Mr. Penn," Corey, Kin, and Kon said in unison, confused. Laney was just as puzzled. She stared at her dad as she set her instrument down. "Dad, why are you here?"

"I just came over to get you." A smile spread across his face. "Your cousin's here."

"WHAT?!" Laney was horrified. This couldn't be happening; not today! But then she got a look of the car; that wasn't her dad's car. Her dad's car was a black sports car with regular rims and tires. But this car was a red drag racing-type car with spray painted black to gray flames on the hood that stretched to the back doors. The tires had neon red rims that illuminated in the dark, and the trunk had a slim whale tail.

"But I thought you said she wasn't coming here until tomorrow!" Laney cried, hoping that it was just a bad dream. "There's been a change in plans..." Gavin said sheepishly. Laney's heart dropped. This was a living nightmare. "This can't be happening..."

"Well, you certainly haven't changed a lot, huh, Laney?" A snickering voice said as someone stepped out of the passenger side of the car. Within a moment's range, the band members, Trina, and Mina were faced with the oldest cousin the Penn family. The college student had an hourglass body shape, fair skin tone, long brown hair that reached the middle of her back, and chocolate brown eyes. Her attire was a simple white v-neck t-shirt, a silver cross necklace, a silver class ring with an emerald jewel on her right hand, dark blue jeans that were faded around the knees, and simple dark red high top sneakers with hand drawn leaf patterns that stretched from the back to the middle of the front.

Carla flipped her hair back as she shut her car door. "Is that any way to greet a family member you haven't seen in six years, Lanes?"

* * *

**And there you have it. Tell me what you think of it, and if you have any idea to make it interesting, explain in your review. Who knows? Maybe I'll be able to use it.  
**

**Either way, stay tuned!**


	2. Carla and Carter

**Hey guys, it's me. It has been decided. This WILL have romance in the future chapters, but mainly towards my OCs, but I will have love triangles. Heh. Mainly LarryxLaney, and maybe some CoreyxLaney. (I can't see her with Corey too well...Sorry.) But anything's possible and the OC love is definite, so we'll see.  
**

**I have made artwork of this fanfiction ((even thought it's just the cover photos and my OC bios))****, but you all can visit my deviantART page to see. I will make more if people encourage me to. ((HINT HINT))  
**

**Anyway, enjoy.**

* * *

Carla and Laney stared at each other, measuring themselves down to size. Carla raised a brow with a small scowl on her face. _'She really didn't change much.'_ She looked at Laney's attire, and her frown peaked up in the corner slightly. _'At least, not her style.'_

_ 'Why is she staring at me like that?'_ Laney could feel herself shrink under the gaze of her cousin. The confidence the teenager radiated could have caused a nuclear explosion. The bassist glanced back at her friends, worried of what they'll say. Kin and Kon were blabbering to each other about Laney's cousin, and Corey was left speechless. He wasn't even blinking! Laney suddenly realized why her friends were so stunned by the news. _'That's right! I never told them about Carla...I met them in kindergarten, but I could never tell them what went on outside of school.'_

It broke her heart then, it broke her heart now. Laney dreaded the idea of something like this happening; these were her best friends! Even though she previously mentioned her cousin before, the boys never knew how Carla behaved or what she was like. All they knew was that Carla was a member of her bloodline; nothing more and nothing less.

"Ahh!" Laney suddenly felt a hand mess up her neatly combed hair. Carla stood above her as ruffled her cousin's hair, grinning from ear to ear. "Been a while, huh, short stuff?"

"Who you callin' short stuff?!" Laney could feel her cheeks heat up. Kin and Kon snickered in the background, and Laney sent them a death glare. They instantly shut up. Gavin smiled at Laney, "You see? Carla's not so bad." But Laney snorted, turning her attention to her father. "Just wait until we get home!"

"What's she talking about?" Carla turned to her uncle, confused. Gavin ran a hand through his hair, sighing. "The worms." Carla nodded, remembering the events. Guilt stabbed at her heart like knives. She reached for her cousin's shoulder, "listen, Laney-."

"Carla, do you mind? I'm practicing here." Laney said as she gave Carla the cold shoulder. Ignoring Laney's tone, Carla looked over at the boys. "Practicing?"

"Yeah! We're Grojband!" Kon cried as he pounded against his drums with Kin's keyboard and Corey's guitar. Carla smiled at the beats. They were completely in synch. _'Impressive for a bunch of school kids.' _Laney facepalmed._ 'Guys, don't get her interested in the band!'_

"More like Groj-barf!"

The band sneered at Trina as she shoved her way past the boys. "Introduce me, Mina!" Mina nodded as she gestured to Trina. "Presenting Trina Riffin! Elementary High's most popular student, Queen Bee pageant winner, and-"

"-Nick Malory's girlfriend!" Tiny pink hearts swarmed around Trina's face as an image of Nick flowed into her mind. Carla looked at Laney confused. "Queen Bee?"

"It's a long story," Laney said as she rolled her eyes. Trina smirked cockily as she stood beside Carla. "So, I hear your going to Peaceville College." Carla shrugged, not really paying attention to Trina. She seemed more interested in Corey's band. "Yeah, so?"

"Soooo if you want, we can totes be, like, BFFs and hang out with all the other college kids!" Trina put her hands on her hips. Carla stared at Trina, looking directly at her eyes. "And I suppose you'd be hanging out with me because you assume I know popular college kids?"

"Well, uh, duh!" Trina snorted. "And since I'm the most popular girl in school, you could tell that to the girls at the college! It would give you a huge boost on your social standing!"

Carla's features darkened. She could tell already that Trina and Mina were going to get on her nerves. "If you're so confident they'll like you, why don't you go tell them yourself?" The older teenager smirked. "And I just got here, genius. I don't have a social standing at the college yet, and frankly I don't care where I stand as long as I'm achieving my goals. And I don't know anybody here except my family." She then turned to Kin, Kon, and Corey. "Plus a pretty sweet looking band."

Both Laney and Trina felt their jaws drop. "You like the band?!" Laney cried, shocked. "OVER ME?!" Trina shouted, appalled. "Why would you choose this wannabe band group over a legit popular girl?!" Trina was fuming as she got up in Carla's face.

Carla gave a small blink, looking down at Trina's lip. "I see hair." Trina slapped a hand onto her mouth, then bolted up to the bathroom at the speed of sound. "MINA! TWEEZERS!"

Carla gave Laney a smirk, who rolled her eyes. "Even though you did give Trina a big burn, I don't understand how you could like a band likes ours-" She turned to her friends, "-no offense, guys."

"None taken."

Laney turned back to Carla. "But considering your age..." Carla smiled as she smoothed out Laney's hair. Laney never got to fix it due to Trina's boasting. "It doesn't matter the age, Laney. As long as you rock, I'll probably like it."

"Sweet!" Corey's eyes glimmered at Carla. "Wanna hear us play?"

"Uh, Core." Corey turned to Laney. "We don't have any lyrics to use."

"Hey, no sweat, bro!" Corey poked her nose. Laney blinked, then became lovestruck. Carla blinked, staring at the heart shaped irises in Laney's eyes. A smirk crawled up her face as Laney noticed her cousin's gaze. _'Shut up, Carla!'_

Corey didn't notice however. He was by Kin and Kon, discussing a plan. "Let's just get Trina to write in her diary. Then we can-"

"IF YOU COME NEAR MY DIARY, YOU'RE DEAD, GROJ-BARF!"

Corey opened his mouth, then closed it. He opened it again, then shut it again. "I got nothin'." Laney facepalmed and Carla smiled sheepishly. The oldest teenager waved a hand in front of her. "No sweat, Corey. When you have lyrics, just call me, okay?"

"Deal!" Corey gave her fistbump. "But do ya wanna stick around?" Laney's mouth dropped open. _'Core! Not you too!'_ Carla shook her head, still smiling sheepishly. "I would love to, man, but I gotta go the college and register some things."

"Aww! But we just got to know you!" Kon whined, looking disappointed. Kin nodded in agreement with his brother. "Yeah! You could help us ward off Trina!"

Laney stared at Kin and Kon blankly. _'Are you guys serious?!' _Carla shook her head as she brushed a strand of hair away from her eyes. "Thanks, boys, but I really have to go. I won't be enrolled if I don't."

"Well, all right." Corey nodded, smiling. "Good luck at that!" Laney rolled her eyes. She then felt a pair of arms wrap around her; Carla pulled Laney into a hug. "Oh, Lanes. What am I going to do with you?" Laney felt her face flush red. Carla never hugged her as kids; why would she hug her now? Laney sighed and pulled away. "Whatever. I'll see you at home then." Carla stared at her cousin, then sighed. She gave a small nod at Laney and waved to the others.

"See ya later, Grojband!"

"Stop by soon!"

"And bring some fries from Belchy's next time!"

Everyone stared at Kon blankly. The drummer shrugged. "What? I'm in the mood for fries."

Carla gave a small chuckle before getting into her car. She could tell that being with Grojband would make the semester even more interesting. Once Carla got into her car and drove off, Corey stood beside Laney with a perplexed look on his face. "Are you sure that's the same cousin you told us about?"

"Because that's not really the impression we were getting from her." Kin agreed. Laney sighed. It was typical of Carla. She would show affection and love for her in front of others and make her seem like the bad guy, but she knew better. "That _is_ her, guys." Laney's eyebrows narrowed. "I know her better than anyone besides her parents!"

"Well, maybe you should wait and see." Kon said cheerfully. "People do change." Laney snorted. _'You're not the one who has to deal with her, Kon.' _Laney looked outside, watching her cousin drive off._ 'I know you may have changed in attitude, but I highly doubt you'll change personality wise!'  
_

As Carla drove away, she glanced into the rear view mirror. She gave a heavy sigh as she turned her attention back to the road. "Oh Laney...if only you knew why, and if only you'd give me a chance to explain..."

* * *

"Too bad you can't stay and see us play, Carter."

The Newmans bassist, Larry Nepp, stepped out of his house with his older cousin, Carter O'Neil. Carter was an eighteen-year-old college student, who was hoping to enroll in either professional basketball, or engineering mechanics. Carter had a rectangle shaped body, fair skin tone, chocolate brown eyes, and short brown hair that curled behind his neck with two long, wavy bangs in front of his face. His attire was also a simple white v-neck t-shirt, a silver cross necklace, a gold class ring with a ruby jewel in the center, dark blue jeans that were faded around the knees, and simple dark red high top sneakers with hand drawn leaf patterns that stretched from the back to the middle of the front.

Basically, Carter was Carla's genderbent doppelganger; just like the Newmans and Grojband.

Carter smiled and ruffled Larry's hair. "I know it sucks, lil' bro, but I gotta do this in order to stay here." Unlike Laney and Carla, Carter and Larry have an extremely close bond. It was so close, they refer to themselves as brothers rather than cousins. Larry squinted an eye shut as he felt his hair tangle up from Carter's hand. "Yeah, if you can get there in the first place."

Carter blinked, looking at his cousin. "Wait, what?" Larry gave his cousin a smug look with his arms crossed. "Aren't you missing something?" Carter looked around his attire, patting his pants pockets. He had everything he needed: His wallet with money and his license, his cell phone, registration papers, and-

"You took my keys again, didn't you?"

Larry grinned childishly as he held Carter's car keys between his fingers. Carter gave his cousin a dull look before charging at him full speed. "Man, you know I hate that! You're gonna get it this time!"

"Eep." Larry bolted from the scene, laughing wildly. "Hahaha! No ride for Carter!" Carter chased after Larry, which wasn't hard. He was the star player on his high school basketball team, and now, he was enrolling at Peaceville's college with hopes of getting a scholarship. The college freshman gave a sneaky grin. "You've gotten faster since I last saw you, kiddo!" The two boys ran into the backyard.

"Well, I've had six years to prepare for it!" Larry shot back as he ran behind a tree trunk. Carter cornered him on the other side, grinning. He and Lenny haven't done this in years, and the nostalgia brought back awesome memories to both boys. "Yeah? Well, you're not the only one!"

"You gotta catch me first, then!" Larry faked a run on one side, then rushed off to the other, leaving Carter behind. Carter laughed along and chased Larry back into the front yard. Carter smirked as he pumped his arms faster, gaining speed. "You're in for it now, Larry!"

"Oh yeah? And why-AHH!" Larry screamed at the top of his lungs as Carter wrapped his arms around his cousin. Larry then found himself being pinned down on his stomach, and Carter began to tickle his cousin by his midriff. Instantly, Larry began squealing at the top of his lungs. "Ahh! Carter! No! Anything but that!"

"Karma's a bitch, Larry!" Carter couldn't help but snicker at his squirming cousin. "Give me back my keys, and I'll stop." Tears poured out of Larry's eyes. Of all his friends, he was the most ticklish. "A-all right! All right, you win!"

"That's what I thought." Carter stood back up and offered Larry a hand. Being brought to his feet, Larry then pulled Carter's car keys out from his back pants pocket. "Wise boy." Larry snorted at Carter's smug expression. "You're such a jerk sometimes, Carter!"

"Don't steal my keys then," Carter snickered. Larry crossed his arms, pouting. "Well, it's the only way we could spend some time together."

"Dude, we have almost five months to spend together!" Carter grabbed Larry's neck with his arm, then proceeded to give his cousin a noogie. "As long as you be patient and wait for me, we'll have hours to chill out together!"

"Ahhhh!" Larry cackled under his cousin's grip, feeling both the heat from Carter's knuckles and his hair getting messed even more. "Hey! No fair, Carter! Lemme go!"

"Stop fussin', okay? I'll be back as soon as I can," Carter said as he walked towards his car. "Besides, don't you need to meet Carrie and the others for rehearsal?"

Larry's heart sank. He totally forgot about that. "I'll see ya later, Carter!"

Carter laughed as he watched his cousin run off into the distance. _'That guy would lose his head if it weren't attached to his shoulders.'_ Carter than started the car up and drove off to the college. _'I have a feeling this will be one awesome semester.'_

* * *

**Stay tuned, guys! Who the hell knows what will happen next with my sick and twisted mind. XD**


	3. Change of Heart

**Hey guys, it's me with another update.  
**

**I have made artwork of this fanfiction****, and you all can visit my deviantART page to see. I will make more if people encourage me to. ((HINT HINT))  
**

**Enjoy, everyone!**

* * *

Carla pushed past the doors of the registration building, looking around. The interior of the building resembled a business building in vastly populated cities; similar to the ones in Newtech.

She smiled. She missed Newtech, but she was glad to be back in Peaceville. The town much cleaner compared to the bustling roads of the city. The teenager walked over to a touchscreen directory, passing by a school store next to the student government office. She could hear the employees in the cafeteria making brunch for teachers and custodians.

The digital directory displayed a gymnasium on the other side of building, a swimming pool on the roof, the nurse's office and staff offices a hallway down, and two flights of stairs on different sides of the building. She smiled; this was only one building and the place seemed better than the brochure.

The directory switched maps to the second floor, and the registration offices were shown. Carla smiled; that was for her. As she made her way to the nearest flight of stairs, Carla could hear the squeaking of shoes against the floor. The gymnasium was right by the stairway, and the door was open with a sign that said: **NEW MEMBERS RECRUIT TODAY.**

_'That's right! The school teams are meeting today as well.'_ Carla glanced into the gymnasium, spotting the freshman basketball team members play against each other; three had red tank tops while the others had white. The coach was watching closely from the bleachers,nodding at how they passed, faked, and dribbled down the court.

An African American player in white dribbled the ball towards the net, but was stopped by two opposing red players on defense. He looked around, trying to find a way to shoot; but the net was too far. It would have been an illegal shot if he went for it. The coach stood up, clapping his hands. "Nichols! Pass the ball to Rooter!"

Xavier Nichols looked at his teammate, Steve Rooter, and passed the ball below his opponent's legs. The coach cheered from the sidelines. "Good job, Nichols! That's the kind of opening you need to look for! Don't take too long, or the opponent will steal the ball!"

"Right, coach!"

The coach then turned to the defense liners who blocked Xavier's shot. "Good defense, but don't gang up on one person! It'll be a foul on us if that happens!"

"Got it!"

Carla was impressed. "Wow. These guys are good!" She watched Steve fake a shot, passing the ball back to Xavier. Xavier ran past his opponent, rearing back to take a shot. But one of his opponents from before ran up to him and put his arms up to block his shot. Xavier back up a few steps, smirked, and tossed it towards the corner of field. "Carter!"

"Good job, Nichols! Look for openings!"

Carla blinked._ 'Carter?'_ She peeked through the door opening, looking at the player Xavier threw the ball towards. Carter grabbed the ball, threw a bank shot. The ball hit against the corner on the hoop, then slipped into the net. Carla's eyes went wide. _'Whoa!'_

The coach went wild. "Good teamwork you two! Excellent bank shot, O'Neil! That's what this team needed!" He blew his whistle, causing the boys to relax. "Take a ten minute break, boys! Good work out there!"

The six teammates walked towards the bleachers, talking about what classes they were taking and who they head. "Yeah, I got this new teacher for my French classes."

"Ha! You? Taking French, dude?"

"Hey, I wanna meet a hot French babe one day! Gimme a break!"

Carter rolled his eyes, smirking at his friends. "You guys are weird." He grabbed his towel and wrapped it over his shoulders, relieved to get a little rest from the practice. Carla stared at the basketball players, Carter in particular. _'He seems nice...And he's cute too...'_

Carter picked up his water bottle, then noticed Carla in the doorway. Instantly, Carla's face flushed red and she ran towards the staircase, embarrassed. _'Oh man, I hope he didn't seem me!_'

Carter blinked, wondering what just happened. Xavier smirked and playfully punched Carter's shoulder. "What's up, dude?"

"Nothing. I just thought I saw somebody..."

"You're probably blinded by the sweat, man." Steve snickered as he downed his water. "And you say we're weird?"

* * *

_**BASKETBALL TRANSITION~.**_

* * *

Carla sighed, exiting one of the offices. "That took forever..." Scheduling her classes was a nightmare, but she was satisfied with what she got despite the long hours she's at the campus. She got Friday's off to make up for that however. She walked down the stairs and towards the door leading to the building exit, opened it, and bumped into something.

Or someone.

"Oh, sorry!" Carla looked up at who she bumped into, and it revealed to Carter. Carter blinked, staring down at Carla as her face flushed a bright pink. Carla could feel her heart pound against her chest. _'It's him!'_ He smiled at her, shrugging the event off. "No problem." He stared at her, a smile creeping onto his face. "Weren't you the girl looking at the team by the gym earlier?"

Flinching, Carla's blush went from bright pink to pure red in seconds. "Y-you did see me!" Carter laughed pleasantly. "Well, yeah! You kinda made it obvious by poking your head in." Carla blinked, bashfully rubbing the back of her head with a smile. "I guess I did make it a little too obvious..."

Carter laughed, shakes his head. "No, don't worry about it. I was pretty amazed to see someone looking at us." He brushed away his left bang away from his eye. Carla smiled at him; thinking he was nicer than he appeared. "Well, yeah. You guys are really good. Especially your bank shot!"

"Well, I should hope so." Carter grinned, his face turning a pale shade of pink. "I've been playing basketball ever since I was three. Ya'know."

"That's pretty impressive. Did you get a scholarship?"

"Nah, unfortunately " Carter rolled his eyes. "My bank shot wasn't 'worthy material' for a scholarship. Or financial aid for the very least," Carter said as he used air quotes around "worthy material" to mock the administration at the school. Carla snickered. She could relate. "Tell me about it. My artwork isn't that great either if I can't get a five hundred dollar scholarship minimum."

"You draw?" Carter asked, taking interest. Carla nodded meekly, smiling. "It's just a hobby, but..." She gripped a small notepad in her hand tightly. Carter noticed this and smiled. "Can I see?" Carla blinked, wondering what he was talking about until she realized he was looking at her hand. "Oh, this?" She handed the pad to him. "They're just doodles I did a few minutes ago."

Carter took it anyway. Flipping them over, he saw the pen sketches of objects that could be found on the second floor. "Wow...And you did these in pen?" Carla nodded, smiling shyly as she blushed. One was a desk, another was a vase, and one was a quick sketch of a man. "Who's he?"

"He's the guy who set up my schedule." She sneered, regretting that she didn't do it online herself. Carter grinned at her expression. "Took longer than you thought, huh?"

"You had him?"

"No, but someone else who worked like a slug." Carter laughed as he handed Carla her notepad back. "She took five minutes just to look for one keyboard key!"

"Oh, God!" Carla snorted, facepalming. "Maybe she was making sure she didn't squish any slugs!"

"Thing is, she had snails in her office!"

The two teenagers laughed loudly, attracting attention. Custodians who were working turned their heads towards them. Feeling the pairs of eyes on them, the two stopped laughing and smiled at each other. Carter cleared his throat awkwardly while Carla rubbed her arm, looking down at the floor.

Carter turned back to Carla bashfully. "Anyway, I'm Carter O'Neil." Carla looked up at him, smiling softly. "I'm Carla Till. You're really cool, Carter. I hope we have a class together."

Carter felt his face flush lightly, but he covered it up with an enthusiastic grin. "Yeah! That'd be cool! You seem like a fun person yourself, Carla." Carla's smile grew as her cheeks went red. Her heart pounded against her chest as butterflies soared through her stomach. _'He really is nicer than he looks...' _

Carla turned to leave, glancing at Carter. "If we don't have a class together, Carter, let's meet in the student lounge." Carter nodded, smiling back. "Agreed. See ya later, Carla." Carter smiled at her one last time, and exited through the doors on the opposite side of the building. Carla watched him walk out of sight before heading towards her car.

Once she closed the car door, she slumped down in her seat with her heart fluttering against her chest. She smiled dreamily as her face went pink. _'I wonder...'  
_

* * *

_**SO CRUSHING TRANSITION~.**_

* * *

Corey walked into the garage, holding bags of food from Belchy's. "Hey guys, you hungry? My dad got us some lunch from Belchy's!"

An angelic choir sang over Kin and Kon. Their eyes dilated and their mouths overflowed with drool. Laney stood up, cringing at the sight. "Dude!" She stepped away from the drool path.

"FOOD!"

"BELCHY'S!"

Corey froze. In an instant, he dropped a bag on the floor and ran behind Laney for cover. Both Kin and Kon wrestled like big cats over the assorted burgers and fries. Laney and Corey stared at them, speechless.

"I really need to evaluate who I'm friends with," Laney said, taking her part of the food from Corey. Corey smiled and put his arm around Laney's shoulders. "No sweat, Lanes. I think we just needed a break."

"Yeah, I guess so," Laney said, smiling at Corey. She suddenly realized his hand was wrapped around her shoulders, and her heart began to pound against her chest. Corey took no notice to this and began to eat his burger without a care in the world. "So, when exactly do you have be home, Lanes?"

Laney shoves Corey's face away, grinning ear to ear. "Ew, gross, Core! You're getting burger chunks everywhere!" Corey snickered as he swallowed the rest of his food. "Sorry, guy." He have Laney a noogie before relaxing back on Kon's drum set. "But I am curious, though."

Laney shrugged, biting into her fries. "Meh. My dad doesn't care as long as it's before midnight."

"Oh, okay," Corey said, reaching for a fry. Laney smirked and slapped his hand away. "Core, you have your own!"

"Aww, your no fun, Lanes!" Corey snickred as he scarfed down the rest of his burger. Laney giggled at him and continued to eat her foot. Kin and Kon had finally calmed down and settled on dividing the burgers and fries evenly. Both of them chomped down on their food vigorously.

Laney smiled at them, admiring their strong brotherly relationship. She sighed, wishing she could have something like that with Carla. Her thoughts drifted to earlier where Carla hugged her. Carla never hugged her in the past unless she was told to do so, but this time, she did it willingly. It surprised Laney. _'Maybe she really did change...Or am I just being jealous of Kin and Kon?'_

Corey noticed Laney's silent attitude and nudged on her shoulder. "You okay, Lanes?" Laney turned to Corey, and sighed. "I don't know, Core...Even though Carla did so some pretty dumb stuff to me, I feel like I should give her another chance...But I can't forgive her unless she apologizes for what she did to me."

"Well, you're willing to make amends with her. That's a start." Corey smiled. "She could be trying to do the same thing now that she's going to be spending a few months with your family."

"Yeah, but, how will I know if she really is trying to make up and be a better cousin?"

"That all depends on the person, Lanes." Corey shrugged, smiling. "But if you look closely and see that she's trying, you'll know." Laney stared at Corey, amazed. "Core, how would you know about this?"

"Who else has to deal with a spoiled rotten sister twenty-four seven?" Corey smirked. "Besides, when we ran into Trina's nice side in her head, I had a feeling that she's been wanting to come back." He sighed sadly, chugging down his soda. Laney's expression softened as she looked down at her feet. Corey had a point. He had to deal with Trina's destructive personality everyday of his life; while subconsciously, she loves him to death and supports him and his band. Corey doesn't have the heart to try and convince Trina to change her ways because she was too self-absobred into herself and getting Nick Mallory to be her boyfriend. But if Katrina were to come back, everyone would notice it.

"Hey, you had bacon on your piece!"

"So did you!"

"But I ate it all ready! Gimme another piece!"

Laney and Corey stared at Kin and Kon as they bickered. Laney got up off the stage and walked out. "Okay, yeah, I gotta go now."

"Take care getting home, fella!"

Laney walked past the bickering brothers.

"Kin, Kon, later."

The stopped and waved at Laney.

"See ya, Laney!"

"Bye, Laney!"

"GIMME THE BACON!"

"YOU HAD BACON ALL READY!"

Laney shook her head and closed the garage door. "I swear, those guys will be the death of me." As the bassist walked away, she could hear a window squeak open. Trina peeked out of her room in her nightgown and a facial mask. "Leaving so soon? Did Corey reject you again?"

Laney snorted as her face went red. "Nice face, Trina! Trying to soothe out your wrinkles for the tenth time today?" Laney began to smirk. "Or are you trying to hide your shame behind scaring little children again?"

"Why you-!"

"I bet Nick Mallory hides in shame that he has someone like you that tried to get in-"

"Hey, Laney!"

Laney turned to the driveway, spotting her cousin's car pulling up. Carla rolled down the passenger window, "you heading home? Come on, I was just heading there too."

Laney blinked a few times. "You don't mind?" Carla smiled, shaking her head. "No way! C'mon, Lanes. It's not safe for kids to be walking home before dark alone." Laney sighed, thinking her options over. Even though her house wasn't too far from Corey's, Carla was offering her a ride in order to protect her. Plus, she wouldn't have to listen to Trina flapping her gums anymore.

"I'll come in."

Carla nodded and unlocked her doors. Laney pulled herself in and buckled up. "Thanks, Carla." She glanced at her cousin, and Carla gently stroked Laney's hair. "Don't worry about it, Laney. This is what family's for."

Laney stared at her cousin out of the corner of her eye. As much as she wanted to distrust her cousin, she couldn't bring herself to believe Carla was the same. _'She acts so differently...And maybe Corey's right. Six years is a long time, but still...I can't trust her completely unless I understand how and why she did in the past...'_

* * *

**Stay tuned, guys! Who the hell knows what will happen next? XD  
**


	4. Important Notice

**What's going on guys? It's me again, but this really isn't an update for this story. It's more like an important note regarding my feelings on this story in general.**

**In short, I won't be continuing it; but I'm not deleting it for the sake of having my first Grojband story up. Plus, if I ever do write something that involves Carla and Carter in another story in the future, it makes it easier to paste the link in the description just in case people never hear of it. But that ever does happen; they'll most likely make cameo appearances. They are my characters after all.**

**Anyway, that's all I've wanted to say. The thought of updating this story feels more like a chore than a hobby. Plus, it's not really my best because I was still learning the personalities of the characters as well. **

**Still, I apologize to those who did like this story, but I hope you all understand why I'm not continuing it. Don't worry, I WILL write more Grojband fanfictions; that's a promise. (Being Larry/Laney stories is a promise too. XD)**

**Anyway, thanks for reading.**


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